A Very Happy Half Birthday to You!

Today Wessy is six months old! There are not enough cliches in the world to describe how wonderful he is and how much we love him.  The last six months have been full of sweetness, adventure, love and pampers.

Our little blobby newborn became a chunk of a baby within weeks, and now he is working on becoming a little person.  He remains an easygoing, calm fellow with a heart-exploding  laugh and no teeth whatsoever.

His downy hair is thicker and longer, and I have noticed the sprouting of dark hairs at his crown like soldiers from an advancing army.  This, more than the inevitably painful forward march of time, has made me sad.  Not because I don't think he will be handsome with darker hair, (IS there anything that would make him not handsome to me? NO.) but because the blond hair was a surprise.

Up until moments before he was born, I thought I would be birthing a little Stevo clone.  But homeskillet came out blond and looking a LOT like ME.  But it made sense, no? I just never expected it.

For the first several months, he was like a little piece of me living outside of my body.  We were so intertwined with nursing.  I was his sole sustenance.  He would let his pliable, soft body fall asleep on my chest in a position of absolute and unguarded vulnerability.

  Now he's getting older and bigger and eating other things.  He wiggles and gets distracted too much to sleep on my chest for long.  He is more in the world.  He likes and dislikes.  He screams, swats and swivels.

He is less of me, and he is looking less like me.

So I didn't mean to make this post seem sad.  I guess I just wanted to remember my shocked happiness when meeting my tiny blond being and welcome in the boisterous, curious, raspberry-blowing Wessy that he is becoming.

Bishes keep telling me that it is a constant process of your child slowly but surely distancing themselves from you, and I guess that is true, but the flip side is what they are becoming as time passes.  That is to say, you do get the recompense of seeing them grow up.  Wessy, we have had a blast watching you grow for the first six months of your life and can't wait to watch you grow every day hence.  You are the best, most solid gold baby.  WE LOVE YOU.

Hiking day

Yesterday we were once more all off again at the same time so we did....the same thing we do every day off, Brain.  We went hiking at Hood Mountain.  Wessy as usual was a willing participant.  We started him facing inwards so that he could nap on the way out and then we reversed him to face out on the way back.  He was happy as a lark the entire time.  It had just rained the day before so everything was damp and mossy and the creek was high.

While facing out on the way back, he started singing to himself.  His little babbling was painfully cute.  I would like to imagine that he was musing to himself how lovely it was and how much he likes   being out in the fresh air.

Someone else also enjoyed himself immensely.

"I hid under your porch because I love you!"

Sunday morning

Multitasking

This is what Wessy thinks of staying late at work to finish notes

Guess who got Wessy dressed this morning?

The best part of waking up...

...is Wessy in your bedtime

New toy...

New today..

-Sitting: Well, tripod-ing.  Well, quadruped-ing.  Wessy can now sit unassisted, provided he leans waaaay forward and puts both hands on the ground in front of him.  Even so, stability remains a challenge.
-First time crying when I took something away from him: I took a plastic bag from him because he was trying to put it over his head and he was incensed.
-First Balint: I took him to didactics at work with me.  He did wonderfully, nary a tear.  He did, however, chirp and fart and squeal his way through the afternoon.  Luckily all my co-workers think he's cute.
-Captain Pampers: This is the superhero who emerges when Wessy's bib turns around backwards and becomes a cape.

Fambly day

Today was a day of great excellence.  For starters, Stevo, Wessy and I were all off work.  Secondly, it was a lovely, non-rainy day here.  So we decided to make the most of it.

We started out at church.  We were only 15 minutes late this morning, which was not too shabby if I do say so myself.  Wessy did very well and slept through the greater part of the service.

After church, we headed to Hood Mountain for a quick hike.  Because of all the rain recently, everything was shockingly green and the creek in the valley was raging.  Wessy loved it.  He makes more and more sounds now, and while we were walking he started making vocalizations that he would modulate with every step.  It was way cute.

After the hike, we went home and walked to the YMCA for a reprisal of Shrimpy Time.  Our little crustacean did not disappoint--he was just as splashy and smily and kicky as he was before.  Stevo got to experience the shrimpy for the first time.  Quote of the afternoon [from Stevo, looking around the pool while holding a supine but curled-up Wessy, trying to get him to float on his back while Wessy was gnawing on his feet and laughing]: "Is anyone seeing how cute this is?!"  I saw, and I can confirm that it was cute.   Wes once again conked out in the Ergo on the way home.

Stevo graciously made dinner while I played with a reinvigorated Wessy.  Wessy was in fine form, eating my nose, grabbing my hair, squealing, laughing, and shoveling anything he could find into his mouth.   He eventually tipped over the edge and we put him to bed before enjoying a wonderful dinner.

Now we are headed for an early bedtime.  Wooooooow.  I'm not very excited about waking up to Monday morning, but I am grateful for today.

Shrimpy time

Today I took Wessy swimming at the pool at the YMCA. I refer to it as "shrimpy time" because that is what they call the swim classes for ages 6-9 months.  We weren't there for a class or anything, just to splash and giggle. And that we did. Wessy was actually more awe-struck than excited, having never really experienced much time in a swimming pool.  We got him in the water briefly at Kiawah and he dipped his paws in the pool in Santa Monica, but he hasn't ever really been for a proper dip until today.  

Here he is getting ready.  He had to wear a Swim Diaper, which resulted in no small amount of delight on my part (MR. SWIM PAMPERZ!).  It is under his very on-point striped spandex trunks, in case you were wondering.  

The wonderful thing about the Y swimming pool is that it is very warm, literally like a bath.  This would be unbearable under normal circumstances but is ideal for baby swimming.  I eased Wes in at first but the water was warm enough that he didn't have to get used to it.  

I pulled him around by the armpits while he kicked his hamhocks behind him.  I am certain he was not kicking for propulsive purposes but only because it felt good.  Then I supported his head and back while he tried to float on his back. The main thing hampering Wessy's ability to float on his back was his persistent fascination with his feet and the resultant inability to straighten his body out.  When he tensed up, he looked just like himself at few weeks old in the bathtub.  He would purse his lips, close his eyes and put his arms in a "muscle man" pose just like he used to when Stevo would hold him on his back in the bathtub.  For a few moments here and there, however, he was able to relax his little body out straight and almost float.  He did not like getting his ears wet initially, but once they were both submerged he did not seem to mind.  

I lifted him in and out of the water and bobbed up and down with him and showed him how to make splashes.  I held him by the armpits while he toddled along the steps in the chest-deep (to him) water. I took him over to the bin of toys and let him pick out a pool toy to chew on.  I kissed him a million times.  Something about the chlorine in the water made the sour milk smell in his neck extra-pungent. I spent a lot of time telling him he was such a good little swimmer while I walked along the bottom of the swimming pool with him in my arms.  

Unfortunately I was flying solo and so didn't have a way of getting any pictures while we were actually swimming, but the determined set of his fat little cheeks as he held his head up when I pulled him along will stay with me for a while.  The round belly, the swim trunks, the pruny little feet...too much to stand, it was like I ate an entire chocolate cake.  

Here is Wessy after our swim.  His locker room game was very strong.   He did not suffer any lack of attention from the elderly-ish aqua-cisers with whom we shared the locker room.  

And just like his mama...he was totally bushed after his swim and fell asleep snuggled in the Ergo on the walk home.  

It was such a good day.  

Hop on Pop, then and now

Things they never tell you, Part Deux

I made an earlier post in regards to things that many, if not most, parents probably know but do not share with you before you have a baby.  I have added a few items to the list:

-Baby socks: This is someone's idea of a joke.  Making socks for babies is like making socks for goats.  Every parent seems to know that the only thing that will stay on a baby's feet are Zutano snap booties.
-Cutting nails: Why doesn't anyone tell you that this is inevitably a terrible experience and you will nick your little one's fingers and feel awful? But that you have to keep dealing with the baby nails over and over again because if not they claw their little faces off.
-Pampers: Do all parents change every wet/dirty pamper immediately? How long is it "okay" to wait if you're busy/indisposed? What if you totally could change the pamper but you just want to finish something for once so you put it off for a second? What happens if you wait five, even ten or more minutes? Does the kind of pamper (cloth vs disposable) factor in? Does waiting make you a bad parent? Does everyone know this but me.

Daddy says...

[Referring to Wes's too-small, tattered but much beloved cotton baby booties]: "Well, I guess we'll have to bronze those."

Tonight....

Daddy's at work, so Wessy and I had one of our date nights.  First we rolled and bounced around on the bed in the nursery. This provokes squeals and shrieks and the most wonderful facial expressions.  Then, we heated up some soup in the microwave and put avocado in it.  I gave Wessy bites of avocado (loved), soup (meh), and then let him suck on the orange slices I had for dessert (loves loves loves--but let it be noted he does not eat them, he simply sucks on them like he is breastfeeding because he doesn't understand about chewing yet).

After that, we tried to bounce in the Bjorn but that idea was soundly rejected.  So I held him and bounced him some more.  More shrieks, more fantastic expressions that make fireworks go off in my heart.  Then he started pulling my shirt down and dive-bombing into my chest (a new development) so I figured he might want to nurse.  I fed him and he fell asleep, warm and heavy in my arms.

Too afraid to move, I stayed frozen like that for 45 minutes, looking at some EKG thing on my phone while mainly just enjoying having my little guy in my arms.  Eventually, he stirred, ate some more, made an epic pampers and then reverted to grinning and cooing.  I changed him and put him to bed. When I left him in his pack and play, he was grinning and vibrating in the sleep sack.  He greeted his friend Cal the Doudou enthusiastically (french kiss) and I bid him goodnight.  Standing outside the door, I heard ongoing cooing and gentle (happy) shrieking.  Do I get tired of saying he is a Solid Gold Baby? No, I do not.

Glossary

Stevo and I have always had our own words for things (some might call it a mutually intelligible but externally inscrutable babble).  Now we are passing that on to Wes.  We figure, because of Geraldine he at least has a shot at fluent Spanish, if not great English.  Herein a listing of some of the peculiar words and phrases we have formulated to talk about all things Wessy-related:

-Pampers: Any diaper at all, including cloth diapers and cloth diaper covers. Also, a bowel movement (e.g. "did you just make a pampers?").
-Busy pampers: a dirty (i.e. a poopy) diaper
-Dampers: a wet pamper
-"Freshen up the pampers": change a diaper
-"What's the story with the pampers?": Did you just poop?
-Doudou: a lovey (i.e. Wessy's California mountain lion Cal)
-A bunny wow: Wow
-A bunny anyway: Anyway
-Bun: short for Bunny, i.e. Wessy
-Ai Bunny: "Hi Bunny!" This is one possible means of greeting Wessy.
-Goggie: Doggie (i.e. Bubba)
-Milk: breastmilk, breastfeeding, boobs
-Weenis: His man-parts
-The bedtime: his crib (actually the Andre 3000 of pack and plays [packs and play? attorneys general????])
-Babero: this is actually just Spanish for bib
-Mr. Pampers: This is a name we have picked out for a hypothetical future gerbil that we may buy for Wessy to have as a pet someday
-Mr. Rompers: Also a possible name for a hypothetical future gerbil, friends with Mr. Pampers
-Mr. Swim Pampers: Hypothetical future name for a beta fish/pet for Wessy
-Naked bottom time: laying about pamper-free in front of the space heater
-The Wessy Song: "We love you our baby Wessy" sung to the tune of "We wish you a Merry Christmas."
-[unintelligible squealing]: Means of communicating with Wessy in his Wookiee language

Pamper change on the fly

This was taken at Point Reyes Station where we made a pit stop to charge up the ol' electric BMW on our way back from whale-watching (Is that sentence so "Bay Area" or what?).  We drove all the way out to the lighthouse and spent a good amount of time there looking at the lighthouse itself, the cliffs, the water and the sea lions.  We did not see any whales ourselves, however, reportedly there were several sightings that day. Nevertheless, it was a fun day out.  

This outing marked the fourth time that Wessy has been to Point Reyes Station.  The first was at around 14 weeks of gestation when Stevo and I hiked the Bear Valley Trail.  I distinctly remember being pregnant (i.e. having to pee the entire time) but not showing yet.    The second was when my mom came out to visit.  I was around 30 weeks pregnant.  We ended up having quite a day, and we hiked about ten miles in all.  

The third time that Wessy passed through Point Reyes Station was on a blazing hot day when he was still a micro-Wessy. We were trying to escape the heat in Santa Rosa so we hauled off as a family and went to the coast.  We also drove out to the lighthouse on that trip, but it was a weekday and the actual lighthouse was closed so we just stood at the promontory and gazed at the sea.  The indelible memories I have of that trip are 1) Wessy shooting out a jet of stool mid-pamper while we were changing him on the rear gate of the BMW, 2) The warm feeling of going out together, just our little family of three, 3) this was the first day that Wessy drooled and the first day that he had tears in his eyes while crying.

And that takes us up to the current trip.  The thing I remember about this trip is Wessy's tireless good nature.  We bundled him up in his bunting and put him in the Ergo and then made him face the damp chill, the fog and the high winds while we dithered around waiting for whales.  His little nose was red and his cheeks were cold the touch, but he was mostly grinning.  Eventually, he went to sleep.  Solid Gold Baby.

Here is Wessy contemplating the wildness of the sea:



Here are Wessy and Stevo descending the 320 steps to the lighthouse:



Here is Wessy exhilarated by the back-up generator for the lighthouse:



And here is our sleepy bear:

I can't wait to bring him back out again to hike or look for whales. 

Things are gettin real in the Whole Foods parking lot

Wessy enjoys a good trip to Whole Foods.  He has been going there weekly since early in his embryo-hood.  The place is pretty thick with daddys with babies in Ergos, but I must say that my two guys are particularly handsome. Behold: 

Birthday presents

This pic was taken on my 32nd (ouch) birthday.  I distinctly remember that I told my residency class I was pregnant just after my 31st birthday.  At the time, the idea of having a child was exciting and somewhat scary.  But it was just that, an idea.  I knew I was pregnant from the nausea and the chubbiness, but I had no idea that it was a Wessy cooking in there.  It didn't seem like a real thing.

  Well, I can say that my milky, burpy, squishy delightful son is very real.  And he is such a gift.  I had no idea what an amazing gift it would be to have a child--no idea.  It feels like the biggest piece of dumb luck ever that I have been allowed to be his mommy.  It's like I won the lottery and was miraculously cured of blindness in the same day, every day. So I guess that what I am saying is, I don't need no birthday presents, I got my baby boy. 

Tonight...

Having had all of a 45 minute nap this afternoon, Wessy was on the brink at about 6:15.  He was a slobbery, sobby, whiny little milk cherub.  So we did what always works best when he is in this state...the Ergo (woooooow).  We plopped our little dude baby in the Ergo and walked to the small grocery store in our neighborhood to forage for dinner.

A few minutes into the walk, he was snuggling serenely into my chest and staring at the straggler Christmas lights on our block.  When we got to the market, he flirted with the checkout girl, peering couquettishly out from the baby carrier and offering sly half-smiles.  Those two go way back--Stevo took Wessy out in the Ergo to the market the day we got home from the hospital and she met him then.

By the time we got home, Wessy was sleeping deeply.  I kept him in the Ergo and sat on the couch with my glass of wine and savored the feeling of having a warm, sweet heap of baby on my chest.  He smells like Burt's Bees, dander, warm milk and sometimes busy pampers.  

When it was time to go to bed, I extracted him from the carrier and changed his pampers while he whinged and covered his face with his little paws.  He was so desperately tired.  He cried his way through pajama time and the singing of The Wessy Song ("We love you our baby Wessy" sung to the tune of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas.")  He breastfed sleepily but with his usual vigor and then we put him in his sleep sack and said goodnight.  He cried literally twice and then he was OUT.

I don't think we could love him any more.

Lil heartbreaker

...starting with his mama. Wessy, ouch.  

It's a baby's life

New today

-Squealing: he is really taking it to the next level now. We are raising a baby pterodactyl.
-"Height": Though his face continues to be as wide as it is tall, his body is getting longer and leaner. He is distinctly human-shaped now. When he stands perched atop the changing table he looks so much like a little old man, albeit with a disproportionately large head.
-Eating: Wes has tried a lot of foods now. He seems to like goat cheese, avocado, peanut butter, egg, and tomato sauce. He still does not get the whole "chewing" (gumming?) thing, but he likes to taste a bit of everything before he spits it out.
-Gummy grins: as gleeful and as wide as ever! Please never get any teeth, Wessy. OK you can have teeth but give your mom a few more months of gummy smiles first. Please?!
-Infant-canine relations: Wes seems to show more and more interest in the buddy. The buddy returns this interest when Wes has food on his face and seems indifferent otherwise.
-Smell: I have started putting Burts bees baby lotion on Wessy. As an aesthete and a lover of the tactile, he seems to enjoy the process. I am, however, doing it for selfish reasons: I want to start to associate the smell of it with him, and then be able to buy a bottle of it years from now and smell it so I can remember his sweet infant self. And then cry uncontrollably. It's a painful love.
-Working mom: Where's the escape hatch? This whole hustle is no fun. I will say that coming home every day to my slobbery cherubic friend takes the edge off.
-Clothes: I want to extend a special thank you to Wes for always wearing anything and everything that I put him in. Some babies don't like hats or certain kinds of clothes but Wes is sweet and accepting and never makes a fuss. Best dolly ever.

Daddy says...

"If you put the blanket over his head he sleeps so much better."

Me n my doudou

A thawing of infant-K9 relations

New today...

-Feet: He loves them. A week or so ago, he didn't even know he had feet. Now Wesley is constantly grabbing at his feet and putting them in his mouth. He has all but mastered the "happy baby" pose. Never mind that he is a happy baby and it is not really a pose as much as a lifestyle.
-Zombie Wessy: Wessy has started reaching both of his arms out straight toward your face when you're holding him up facing you. He is probably doing it to grab your glasses or for the purpose of putting his hand in your mouth (his favorite), but it looks kind of like he is doing his best zombie impression.
-first New Year's: we went to San Diego for a wedding and spent New Year's day soaking up the southern California sun. Wes thought that Southern California was fun to visit but he would never want to live there. It was also in Southern California that he attended his second wedding and went to his second art museum (the Getty--he went to the De Young museum two weeks ago).
-Sleeping: Wes has officially graduated from swaddle school and is now taking night classes in the sleep sack. He also transitioned to the pack and play from the bassinet. The whole thing was seamless, and now he enjoys splaying his arms out while he sleeps. Solid gold baby.

Hopped off the plane at LAX. . .

LA's hottest clubs: R + D Kitchen

Montana Ave

Santa Monica's hottest clubs

Wessy at The Getty